Yankees' Top Prospect Dax Kilby Hits Career Milestone in Single-A

When it comes to infield prospects in the New York Yankees' farm system, a lot of the attention has been on George Lombard Jr. Another one of New York's highly touted shortstops in the minors is starting to make some noise, though, after dealing with injuries earlier this year.

Shortstop Dax Kilby, the Yankees' No. 2 prospect for 2026 on MLB Pipeline, launched the first home run of his minor league career for the Single-A Tampa Tarpons on Saturday. The 19-year-old turned on a 2-1 fastball and crushed it over the fence in right field for a two-run shot in Tampa's 9-4 win against the Palm Beach Cardinals, the Single-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kilby was New York's first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, but he's been limited to just 25 games played so far in the minors. Now that he's made his return to Tampa's lineup, though, the young shortstop finally has the chance to showcase the potential that's made him one of the top prospects in the Yankees' farm system.

Dax Kilby could be a name to keep an eye on at the trade deadline

New York Yankees prospect Dax Kilby — Jul 1, 2024; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Newnan High School infielder Dax Kilby during the Perfect Game National Showcase high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

So far this season, Kilby is hitting .200 (4-for-20) with one homer and five RBIs in seven minor league games. Last year, in 18 Single-A games, the young shortstop had a .353 batting average, a .457 on-base percentage, and an .898 OPS with no home runs, nine RBIs, and 16 stolen bases. That's still a very small sample size at the start of the career of the 39th-overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, though.

Despite not having a ton of minor league action under his belt quite yet, Kilby could be a player worth monitoring ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline in the majors. As of now, the Yankees appear to be more likely to promote Lombard over trading him, which means they could entertain offers for their 2025 first-round pick instead. But based on the latest reports, outfielders Spencer Jones and Jasson Domínguez are expected to be among the "key pieces" that New York could offer to other teams at the deadline.

While Kilby's name hasn't specifically come up in many trade rumors yet, that could change over the next week depending on who exactly the Yankees try to acquire at the deadline. But for now, the lefty-swinging shortstop will focus on continuing his development at Single-A.

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